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Regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase in the liver. Purification of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and the immunochemical evidence for the induction of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase by cholestyramine and circadian rhythm.

Two cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase isozymes were purified from liver microsomes of cholestyramine-treated female rats by using anion exchange high performance liquid chromatography. These two cytochrome P-450 isozymes were similar in electrophoretic mobility, immunocross-reactivity, and Vmax but differed in Km for cholesterol, turnover number, and charges. Antibody against the major isozyme was raised in rabbit. This antibody specifically inhibited microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity. Immunoblot of microsomal polypeptides indicated that microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase enzyme levels were increased in parallel with cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity upon the treatment of rats with diet supplemented with cholestyramine. Both cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity and enzyme levels were drastically reduced immediately after the removal of cholestyramine from the diet. Cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity was also detected in the microsomes of kidney, heart, and lung in about 7-27% of the level found in the liver. 3-Methylcholanthrene treatment induced cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity and enzyme level. In contrast, pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile or dexamethasone treatment greatly depressed enzyme and activity in rats. Cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase enzyme level was 2-3-fold higher in liver microsomes of rats maintained under the reversed light cycle than under the normal light cycle. In genetically obese Zucker rats, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity and enzyme level did not respond to the change in the light cycle, however, were induced to the same levels as in the lean rats by cholestyramine treatment. This study provided the first direct evidence that the bile acid feedback regulation and circadian rhythm of microsomal cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity involved the induction of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase enzyme level.

Animals↗

Effect of hepatic injury on prolyl 3-hydroxylase and 4-hydroxylase activities in rat liver and on immunoreactive prolyl 4-hydroxylase concentrations in the liver and serum.

After severe hepatic injury induced by dimethylnitrosamine, approximately a 4-fold increase in hepatic prolyl 4-hydroxylase activity occurred within 4 days, whereas the increases in total immunoreactive prolyl 4-hydroxylase protein and in prolyl 3-hydroxylase activity were only about 1.4-fold. The different magnitudes of the increases in the prolyl 4-hydroxylase and 3-hydroxylase activities were verified after partial purification of the enzymes by gel filtration. The data support previous reports indicating differential increases in the activities of individual enzymes of collagen biosynthesis in hepatic injury. Separation of prolyl 4-hydroxylase tetramers from the monomer-size protein by gel filtration indicated that the increase in enzyme activity was similar to that in enzyme tetramers, and an increase had also occurred in the ratio of enzyme tetramers to total enzyme protein. Thus the specific activity of the tetramers had remained unchanged in liver injury. The administration of dimethylnitrosamine was also accompanied by a marked increase in the immunoreactive prolyl 4-hydroxylase protein concentration in the serum, and a similar effect was also noted after carbon tetrachloride administration, results suggesting that the increases originated in the liver.

Animals↗

Correlation between serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase activities in central and peripheral adrenergic neurons and adrenal glands.

Serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar-Kyoto rats had a positive correlation with dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase activities in mesenteric vessels, vas deferens, and adrenal glands at 14-16 weeks of age, a negative correlation with dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in locus coeruleus at 3 weeks and 14-16 weeks of age, and a positive correlation with tyrosine hydroxylase activity only at 3 weeks of age, but not at 14-16 weeks of age.

Adrenal Glands↗

Replacing the carboxy-terminal 28 residues of rabbit liver P-450 (laurate (omega-1)-hydroxylase) with those of P-450 (testosterone 16 alpha-hydroxylase) produces a new stereospecific hydroxylase activity.

cDNA for chimeric P-450 consisting of the amino-terminal 462 residues of P-450 (laurate (omega-1)-hydroxylase) and the remaining 28 residues of P-450 (testosterone 16 alpha-hydroxylase) was constructed and expressed in yeast cells. The resulting chimera could catalyze laurate (omega-1)-hydroxylation and benzphetamine N-demethylation at much higher rates than the parental P-450s, but exhibited the same specificity towards fatty acid substrates as the wild-type laurate hydroxylase. When testosterone was examined as a substrate, the 16 beta-hydroxylated product, which cannot be formed by either of the parental P-450s, was detected, suggesting that the laurate hydroxylase contains a structure that is capable of binding testosterone at a proper orientation so that it can be hydroxylated at the 16 beta position.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Intracellular enzymes of collagen biosynthesis in rat liver as a function of age and in hepatic injury induced by dimethylnitrosamine. Purification of rat prolyl hydroxylase and comparison of changes in prolyl hydroxylase activity with changes in immunoreactive prolyl hydroxylase.

Prolyl hydroxylase was purified from newborn rats by affinity chromatography using poly(L-proline), and antiserum to the enzyme was prepared in rabbits. The rat prolyl hydroxylase was similar to the chick and human enzymes with respect to specific activity, molecular weight and molecular weights of the polypeptide chains. The activity of prolyl hydroxylase and the content of immunoreactive enzyme were measured in rat liver as a function of age in experimental hepatic injury. Active prolyl hydroxylase comprised about 13.2% of the total immunoreactive protein in the liver of newborn rats and the value decreased to about 3.6% at the age of 420 days. This decrease was due to a decrease in the enzyme activity, whereas only minor changes were found in the content of the immunoreactive protein. In hepatic injury, a significant increase was found in the ratio of active enzyme to total immunoreactive protein, owing to an increase in the enzyme activity. The data indicate that prolyl hydroxylase activity in rat liver is controlled in part by a mechanism which does not involve changes in the content of the total immunoreactive protein.

Age Factors↗

Regiospecific cytochrome P450 limonene hydroxylases from mint (Mentha) species: cDNA isolation, characterization, and functional expression of (-)-4S-limonene-3-hydroxylase and (-)-4S-limonene-6-hydroxylase.

The oxygenation pattern of the cyclic monoterpenoids of commercial mint (Mentha) species is determined by regiospecific cytochrome P450-catalyzed hydroxylation of the common olefinic precursor (-)-4S-limonene. In peppermint (Mentha x piperita), C3-allylic hydroxylation leads to (-)-trans-isopiperitenol, whereas in spearmint, C6-allylic hydroxylation leads to (-)-trans-carveol. The microsomal limonene-6-hydroxylase was purified from the oil glands of spearmint, and amino acid sequences from the homogeneous enzyme were used to design PCR primers with which a 500-bp amplicon was prepared. This nondegenerate probe was employed to screen a spearmint oil gland cDNA library from which the corresponding full-length cDNA was isolated and subsequently confirmed as the C6-hydroxylase by functional expression using the baculovirus-Spodoptera system. The probe was also utilized to isolate two closely related full-length cDNA species from a peppermint oil gland cDNA library which were confirmed as the limonene-3-hydroxylase by functional expression as before. Deduced sequence analysis of these regiospecific cytochrome P450 monooxygenases indicates that both enzymes bear a typical amino-terminal membrane anchor, consistent with the microsomal location of the native forms, exhibit calculated molecular weights of 56,149 (spearmint) and about 56,560 (peppermint), and are very similar in primary sequence (70% identity and 85% similarity). The availability of these regiochemically distinct, yet very closely related, recombinant hydroxylases and their corresponding genes provides a unique model system for understanding structure-function relationships in cytochrome P450 substrate binding and catalysis, and a means for transgenic manipulation of monoterpene biosynthetic pathways in plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning, functional identification and sequence analysis of flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase and flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase cDNAs reveals independent evolution of flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase in the Asteraceae family.

Flavonoids are ubiquitous secondary plant metabolites which function as protectants against UV light and pathogens and are involved in the attraction of pollinators as well as seed and fruit dispersers. The hydroxylation pattern of the B-ring of flavonoids is determined by the activity of two members of the vast and versatile cytochrome P450 protein (P450) family, the flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase (F3'H) and flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3'5'H). Phylogenetic analysis of known sequences of F3'H and F3'5'H indicated that F3'5'H was recruited from F3'H before the divergence of angiosperms and gymnosperms. Seven cDNAs were isolated from species of the Asteraceae family, all of which were predicted to code for F3'Hs based on their sequences. The recombinant proteins of four of the heterologously in yeast expressed cDNAs exhibited the expected F3'H activity but surprisingly, three recombinant proteins showed F3'5'H activity. Phylogenetic analyses indicated the independent evolution of an Asteraceae-specific F3'5'H. Furthermore, sequence analysis of these unusual F3'5'H cDNAs revealed an elevated rate of nonsynonymous substitutions as typically found for duplicated genes acquiring new functions. Since F3'5'H is necessary for the synthesis of 3',4',5'-hydroxylated delphinidin-derivatives, which normally provide the basis for purple to blue flower colours, the evolution of an Asteraceae-specific F3'5'H probably reflects the adaptive value of efficient attraction of insect pollinators.

Asteraceae↗

Dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactivity in human cerebrospinal fluid: properties, relationship to central noradrenergic neuronal activity and variation in Parkinson's disease and congenital dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency.

1. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase is stored and released with catecholamines by exocytosis from secretory vesicles in noradrenergic neurons and chromaffin cells. Although dopamine beta-hydroxylase enzymic activity is measurable in cerebrospinal fluid, such activity is unstable, and its relationship to central noradrenergic neuronal activity in humans is not clearly established. To explore the significance of cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase, we applied a homologous human dopamine beta-hydroxylase radioimmunoassay to cerebrospinal fluid, in order to characterize the properties and stability of cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase, as well as its relationship to central noradrenergic neuronal activity and its variation in disease states such as hypertension, renal failure, Parkinsonism and congenital dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency. 2. Authentic, physically stable dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactivity was present in normal human cerebrospinal fluid at a concentration of 31.3 +/- 1.4 ng/ml (range: 18.5-52.5 ng/ml), but at a 283 +/- 27-fold lower concentration than that found in plasma. Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma dopamine beta-hydroxylase concentrations were correlated (r = 0.67, P = 0.001). Some degree of local central nervous system control of cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase was suggested by incomplete correlation with plasma dopamine beta-hydroxylase (with an especially marked dissociation in renal disease) as well as the lack of a ventricular/lumbar cerebrospinal dopamine beta-hydroxylase concentration gradient. 3. Cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase was not changed by the central alpha 2-agonist clonidine at a dose that diminished cerebrospinal fluid noradrenaline, nor did cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase correspond between subjects to cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of noradrenaline or methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; thus, cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase concentration was not closely linked either pharmacologically or biochemically to central noradrenergic neuronal activity. 4. Cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase was not changed in essential hypertension. In Parkinson's disease, cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase was markedly diminished (16.3 +/- 2.9 versus 31.3 +/- 1.4 ng/ml, P < 0.001) and rose by 58 +/- 21% (P = 0.02) after adrenal-to-caudate chromaffin cell autografts. In congenital dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency, lack of detectable dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid or plasma suggests absent enzyme (rather than a catalytically defective enzyme) as the origin of the disorder. 5. We conclude that cerebrospinal fluid dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactivity, while not closely linked to central noradrenergic neuronal activity, is at least in part derived from the central nervous system, and that its measurement may be useful in both the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disease.

Adult↗

Methylcholanthrene: a possible pseudosubstrate for adrenocortical 17 alpha-hydroxylase and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase.

In cultured bovine adrenocortical cells, loss of 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity was observed after incubation with 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC). The suppression of 17 alpha-hydroxylase by 3-MC was rapid (50% loss of activity in 10 hr at 1 microM 3-MC), did not exhibit a lag period, and was not affected by cycloheximide. Direct effects of 3-MC on 17 alpha-hydroxylase were observed only at high concentrations, but the concentration for 50% loss of activity was 0.3 microM when 3-MC was added for 24 hr prior to assay of 17 alpha-hydroxylase. High concentrations (to 40 microM) of substrate (progesterone), did not affect the loss of activity due to 3-MC. Loss of 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity was specific; 11 beta-hydroxylase was unaffected and cell growth was unaltered. However, 22-amino-23,24-bisnorchol-5-en-3 beta-ol, an inhibitor of 17 alpha-hydroxylase, partially prevented the loss of 17 alpha-hydroxylase at 1-30 nM. 3-MC is thought to induce cytochrome P-450s via a receptor with high affinity for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). TCDD was without effect on 17 alpha-hydroxylase over the range of 10 nM to 10 microM. Benz[a]anthracene, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, and methylphenanthrenes suppressed 17 alpha-hydroxylase at high concentrations (10-50 microM for 50% loss of activity). Some steroids that lack a substituent at position 17 also caused loss of 17 alpha-hydroxylase. Like 17 alpha-hydroxylase, bovine adreno-cortical cell AHH was found to be suppressed by exposure to 3-MC. Compounds that caused loss of 17 alpha-hydroxylase caused loss of AHH, with a similar order of potency and at similar concentrations. Suppression of AHH by 3-MC did not require protein synthesis and was prevented by an inhibitor of enzymatic activity, alpha-naphthoflavone. This implies a degree of similarity of the cytochrome P-450s for 17 alpha-hydroxylase and adrenal AHH, but the activities were shown to be likely due to different enzymes. The suppression of 17 alpha-hydroxylase and AHH by 3-MC appears not to occur by a receptor-mediated mechanism but to be similar to the suppression of 11 beta-hydroxylase and 21-hydroxylase by steroid pseudosubstrates previously observed.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Expression of 11 beta-hydroxylase and 21-hydroxylase in long-term cultures of bovine adrenocortical cells requires extracellular matrix factors.

In order to elucidate mechanisms for the loss of expression of 11 beta-hydroxylase and 21-hydroxylase, induction of these genes in long-term cultures of bovine adrenocortical cells was reassessed and compared with induction of 17 alpha-hydroxylase. We previously showed that both 11 beta- and 21-hydroxylases require insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) as well as cAMP for induction; these are the only factors needed by primary cultures. Cells at population doubling level 10 grown on fibronectin-coated polystyrene dishes and incubated with cholera toxin and IGF-I did not express 11 beta-hydroxylase and 21-hydroxylase. They showed a truncated steroidogenic pathway, converting 25-hydroxycholesterol to some 11-deoxycortisol but little cortisol. However, when population doubling level 10 cells were grown for 5 days in extracellular matrix Matrigel, cholera toxin and IGF-I induced a complete steroidogenic pathway to cortisol. Northern blotting also showed that expression of 11 beta-hydroxylase messenger RNA (mRNA) after cholera toxin/IGF-I induction was observed only in cultures grown in Matrigel and was undetectable in cultures grown on plastic. 21-Hydroxylase mRNA was observed in cultures grown on plastic but was greatly enhanced by Matrigel; however, 17 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA was induced to a similar extent with and without Matrigel. In other middle passage cultures, whether grown as mass cultures, SV40 T antigen-transfected clones, or normal (nontransfected) clones, cells did not express 11 beta-hydroxylase except when grown in Matrigel; 21-hydroxylase was low and expression was enhanced by Matrigel, whereas 17 alpha-hydroxylase expression was unaffected. As previously determined, in late-passage cells and clones only side-chain cleavage enzyme and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activities were detected and 17 alpha-hydroxylase was not expressed. In such cells 11 beta-hydroxylase and 21-hydroxylase were also not expressed, even in the presence of Matrigel. Thus, prior to the previously described loss of expression of 17 alpha-hydroxylase, Matrigel permits the cholera toxin/IGF-I-induced expression of a complete steroidogenic pathway in bovine adrenocortical cells in long-term culture.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Insulin suppresses bile acid synthesis in cultured rat hepatocytes by down-regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase gene transcription.

Evidence from in vivo studies indicates that the bile acid pool and bile acid excretion are increased in humans with diabetes mellitus and in experimental diabetic animals, and that both parameters return to normal levels after administration of insulin. To investigate the biochemical background of these changes, the effects of insulin on bile acid synthesis and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase, two key enzymes in routing of cholesterol toward bile acids, were studied in cultured rat hepatocytes. Mass production of bile acids was dose dependently diminished, showing significant reduction (-33% to -53%) at physiological concentrations of the hormone (1.4 to 14 nmol/L) and a maximal decrease at 140 nmol/L (-65%). The decrease of bile acid synthesis correlated well with the suppression of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase activity. The enzyme activity for cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, examined in more detail, was dose dependently diminished on incubation of hepatocytes with various concentrations of insulin, reaching maximal reduction at 14 nmol/L of insulin. Maximal decrease of the enzyme activity was seen after 8 hours of incubation (-70%). Insulin strongly reduced the rise in cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity induced by incubation with dexamethasone. Sterol 27-hydroxylase activity was inhibited up to -58% after 24 hours of incubation with 140 nmol/L insulin. To study the mechanism of suppression of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase activity, the effects of insulin on their respective levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) and gene transcription were assessed. The decrease in enzyme activities could be explained by a concomitant reduction in the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (-76%) and sterol 27-hydroxylase (-62%) mRNA level. Transcriptional activity, as assessed by nuclear runoff assays, was decreased to the same extent, i.e., -60% for cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and -75% for sterol 27-hydroxylase. Transient expression experiments using a construct containing the proximal 348 basepairs of the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase promoter fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene (-348Rcat) showed a significant reduction of transcriptional activity (-64%) with insulin, indicating that a sequence important for an insulin-induced transcriptional response is located within the first 348 basepairs, preceding the transcription start of the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase promoter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Immunocytochemical localization of the catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes, tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, in the hypothalamus of cattle.

Immunocytochemical staining for the presence of catecholamine synthesizing enzymes, tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine beta-hydroxylase, was used to characterize the regional distribution of catecholaminergic neurons in the hypothalamus and adjacent areas of domestic cattle, Bos taurus. In steers, heifers and cows, tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive perikarya was located throughout periventricular regions of the third cerebral ventricle, in both anterior and retrochiasmatic divisions of the supraoptic nucleus, suprachiasmatic nucleus, and ventral and dorsolateral regions of the paraventricular nucleus, dorsal hypothalamus, ventrolateral aspects of the arcuate nucleus, along the ventral hypothalamic surface between the median eminence and optic tract, and in the posterior hypothalamus. Immunostained perikarya ranged from small (10-20 microns, parvicellular) to large (30-50 microns, magnocellular) and were of multiple shapes: round, triangular, fusiform or multipolar, often with 2-5 processes of branched arborization. There were no dopamine-beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive perikarya observed within the hypothalamus and adjacent structures. However, both tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive fibers and punctate varicosities were observed throughout regions of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity perikarya. Generally, the location and pattern of hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive were similar to those reported for most other large brain mammalian species, however, there were several differences with commonly used small laboratory animals. These included intense tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity of perikarya within the retrochiasmatic division of the supraoptic nucleus (ventral A15 region), the absence of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive perikarya below the anterior commissure or within the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (absence of the dorsal A15 region), an abundance of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive perikarya within the ependymal layer of the median eminence, heavy innervation of the arcuate nucleus with dopamine-beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive fibers and varicosities, and the paucity of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive throughout the median eminence.

Animals↗

Reversing the substrate specificities of phenylalanine and tyrosine hydroxylase: aspartate 425 of tyrosine hydroxylase is essential for L-DOPA formation.

The catalytic domains of the pterin-dependent enzymes phenylalanine hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase are homologous, yet differ in their substrate specificities. To probe the structural basis for the differences in specificity, seven residues in the active site of phenylalanine hydroxylase whose side chains are dissimilar in the two enzymes were mutated to the corresponding residues in tyrosine hydroxylase. Analysis of the effects of the mutations on the isolated catalytic domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase identified three residues that contribute to the ability to hydroxylate tyrosine, His264, Tyr277, and Val379. These mutations were incorporated into full-length phenylalanine hydroxylase and the complementary mutations into tyrosine hydroxylase. The steady-state kinetic parameters of the mutated enzymes showed that the identity of the residue in tyrosine hydroxylase at the position corresponding to position 379 of phenylalanine hydroxylase is critical for dihydroxyphenylalanine formation. The relative specificity of tyrosine hydroxylase for phenylalanine versus tyrosine, as measured by the (V/K(phe))/(V/K(tyr)) value, increased by 80000-fold in the D425V enzyme. However, mutation of the corresponding valine 379 of phenylalanine hydroxylase to aspartate was not sufficient to allow phenylalanine hydroxylase to form dihydroxyphenylalanine at rates comparable to that of tyrosine hydroxylase. The double mutant V379D/H264Q PheH was the most active at tyrosine hydroxylation, showing a 3000-fold decrease in the (V/K(phe))/(V/K(tyr)) value.

Aspartic Acid↗

Circadian rhythms of sterol 12alpha-hydroxylase, cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase and DBP involved in rat cholesterol catabolism.

Circadian rhythms of important enzymes involved in the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids [sterol 12alpha-hydroxylase (12alpha-hydroxylase) and cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase (7alpha-hydroxylase)] and an albumin site D-binding protein (DBP) were examined in rats. When the animals were fed freely, they usually ate in the dark and the circadian rhythms of activities of 12alpha-hydroxylase and 7alpha-hydroxylase showed the same peaks (at 10 p.m.) and lows (at 2 p.m.). Their mRNA levels were determined at four timepoints: 3 a.m., 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. A maximum of the rhythm of 12alpha-hydroxylase was observed at 3 p.m. and the minimum at 3 a.m. These results are distinct from those of 7alpha-hydroxylase, whose maximum point was at 10 p.m. and minimum at 3 p.m. When the rats were fed only in the day-time (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), a marked shift of the activity and mRNA rhythms was observed with both enzymes. The circadian rhythms of the activities of both enzymes showed the same peaks (at 3 p.m.), but the mRNA levels of 12alpha-hydroxylase were distinct from those of 7alpha-hydroxylase, whose maximum point was at 3 a.m. and minimum at 10 p.m. Differences between the maximum and the minimum points of each enzyme mRNA level were statistically significant (P < 0.01 for 12alpha-hydroxylase and 0.05 for 7alpha-hydroxylase). Moreover, circadian rhythms of DBP were also markedly shifted with the change of feeding period. The maximum mRNA level was observed at 10 p.m. instead of 10 a.m. and the minimum was at 10 a.m. instead of 10 p.m.

Animals↗

Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene transcription rate and tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA stability by cyclic AMP and glucocorticoid.

Tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA is induced in rat pheochromocytoma PC18 cells by cAMP analogs and glucocorticoids. Previous studies have shown that these increases in tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA are due at least in part to stimulation of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene. However, the involvement of post-transcriptional mechanisms in the regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA by these inducing agents has not been investigated. In the present study, using nuclear run-on assays we show that the relative transcription rate of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene is stimulated 2-5-fold within 20 min after treatment of PC18 cells with cAMP analogs or dexamethasone and that the rate of transcription remains elevated 2-3-fold for at least 24 hr in the continual presence of these inducing agents. Pulse-labeling experiments using 4-thiouridine indicate that the rate of synthesis of tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA is increased approximately 3-fold or 10-fold after treatment with either a cyclic AMP analog or dexamethasone, respectively. These increases in rates of synthesis agree well with the fold increases in tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA levels after treatment with these inducers. Treatment of the cells with cycloheximide lowers the basal relative transcription rate of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene 2-3-fold; however, the relative transcription rate of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene is still elevated in cells treated with either dexamethasone or cAMP analogs in the presence of cycloheximide, compared with the transcription rate of the gene in cells treated with cycloheximide alone. These results indicate that protein synthesis is not required for the short term regulation of the gene by these inducing agents. The apparent t1/2 for tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA has been estimated by two different procedures, approach to steady state kinetics and pulse-chase analysis. Both procedures yield an estimated apparent t1/2 of approximately 6-9 hr for tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA under basal culture conditions. Dexamethasone does not substantially alter this apparent t1/2 value; however, cAMP appears to lower this apparent t1/2 value transiently. Our results suggest that cAMP and glucocorticoid regulate tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA levels primarily by stimulating the transcription rate of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene; however, cAMP may also regulate the stability of the mRNA for a short period of time, such that it is induced more rapidly in the cells.

Animals↗

Cafestol, the cholesterol-raising factor in boiled coffee, suppresses bile acid synthesis by downregulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase in rat hepatocytes.

Consumption of boiled coffee raises serum cholesterol levels in humans. The diterpenes cafestol and kahweol in boiled coffee have been found to be responsible for the increase. To investigate the biochemical background of this effect, we studied the effects of cafestol and a mixture of cafestol/kahweol/isokahweol (48:47:5 w/w) on bile acid synthesis and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase in cultured rat hepatocytes. Dose-dependent decreases of bile acid mass production and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase activity were found, showing a maximal reduction of -91%, -79%, and -49% respectively, at a concentration of 20 micrograms/mL cafestol. The decrease in 7 alpha-hydroxylase and 27-hydroxylase activity paralleled well the suppression of the respective mRNAs, being -79% and -77%, and -49% and -46%, respectively, at 20 micrograms/mL cafestol. Run-on data showed a reduction in 7 alpha-hydroxylase and 27-hydroxylase gene transcriptional activity after incubation with cafestol. The mixture of cafestol/kahweol/isokahweol was less potent in suppression of bile acid synthesis and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase. Cafestol (20 micrograms/mL) had no effect on lithocholic acid 6 beta-hydroxylase mRNA, another enzyme involved in bile acid synthesis. LDL-receptor, HMG-CoA reductase, and HMG-CoA synthase mRNAs were significantly decreased by cafestol (-18%, -20%, and -43%, respectively). We conclude that cafestol suppresses bile acid synthesis by downregulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and of, to a lesser extent, sterol 27-hydroxylase in cultured rat hepatocytes, whereas kahweol and isokahweol are less active. We suggest that suppression of bile acid synthesis may provide an explanation for the cholesterol-raising effect of cafestol in humans.

Animals↗

Lipoprotein cholesterol uptake mediates up-regulation of bile-acid synthesis by increasing cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase but not sterol 27-hydroxylase gene expression in cultured rat hepatocytes.

Lipoproteins may supply substrate for the formation of bile acids, and the amount of hepatic cholesterol can regulate bile-acid synthesis and increase cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase expression. However, the effect of lipoprotein cholesterol on sterol 27-hydroxylase expression and the role of different lipoproteins in regulating both enzymes are not well established. We studied the effect of different rabbit lipoproteins on cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase in cultured rat hepatocytes. beta-Migrating very-low-density lipoprotein (betaVLDL) and intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL) caused a significant increase in the intracellular cholesteryl ester content of cells (2. 3- and 2-fold, respectively) at a concentration of 200 microgram of cholesterol/ml, whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL, 50% v/v), containing no apolipoprotein E (apo E), showed no effect after a 24-h incubation. betaVLDL and IDL increased bile-acid synthesis (1. 9- and 1.6-fold, respectively) by up-regulation of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase activity (1.7- and 1.5-fold, respectively). Dose- and time-dependent changes in cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase mRNA levels and gene expression underlie the increase in enzyme activity. Incubation of cells with HDL showed no effect. Sterol 27-hydroxylase gene expression was not affected by any of the lipoproteins added. Transient-expression experiments in hepatocytes, transfected with a promoter-reporter construct containing the proximal 348 nucleotides of the rat cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase promoter, showed an enhanced gene transcription (2-fold) with betaVLDL, indicating that a sequence important for a cholesterol-induced transcriptional response is located in this part of the cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase gene. The extent of stimulation of cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase is associated with the apo E content of the lipoprotein particle, which is important in the uptake of lipoprotein cholesterol. We conclude that physiological concentrations of cholesterol in apo E-containing lipoproteins increase bile-acid synthesis by stimulating cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase gene transcription, whereas HDL has no effect and sterol 27-hydroxylase is not affected.

Animals↗

Characterization of two new enzymatic activities of the rat ventral prostate: 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol 6 alpha-hydroxylase and 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol 7 alpha-hydroxylase.

This study has characterized two new enzymatic hydroxylase activities specific for 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol (3 beta-diol) in the rat ventral prostate: 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol 6 alpha-hydroxylase (6 alpha-hydroxylase) and 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta, 17 beta-diol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (7 alpha-hydroxylase). Both of these irreversible hydroxylase activities require NADPH and are localized in the microsomal fraction of the prostate. The apparent Km for 3 beta-diol is 2.5 microM for both the 6 alpha- and 7 alpha-hydroxylase activities. The apparent Km for NADPH is 7.6 microM for the 6 alpha-hydroxylase and 7.0 microM for the 7 alpha-hydroxylase. The pH optimum for both activities is 7.4. Several steroid inhibitors of these hydroxylase activities in vitro were identified including cholesterol, progesterone, and estradiol. Estradiol was found in vitro to be a noncompetitive inhibitor (Ki = 5 microM). Injection of estradiol into intact male rats, simultaneously receiving exogenous testosterone, also produced a significant lowering of the 6 alpha-plus 7 alpha-hydroxylase activities. Both the 6 alpha- and 7 alpha-hydroxylase were found to be androgen sensitive. Following castration there is a rapid decrease in both activities.

Androstane-3,17-diol↗